Latest news with #TheVanishing
Time Out
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Photograph: Quim Vives
An outdoor rave in the desert. The music pounds, distorting the speakers, and the desert sun beats down. These people dance like the damned. Some like they're asking questions; others like they're answering them. Some seem furious; others ecstatic. They all look exhausted, old, like they've been dancing non-stop for 25 years. Some have lost limbs. Think Burning Man, but more like Burnt Man: the embers of the '90s dance scene. Among them wanders Luis (Sergi López) and his young son, Esteban, handing out fliers as they search for his daughter who is rumoured to be in the area. When an international crisis causes the military to start rounding up foreign nationals, a ragtag caravan of ravers breakaway from the convoy and head to the mountains seeking out another rave. Luis and Esteban follow. Wherever they think they're going, they're in for a surprise. The same can be said for us. All you need to know is that the twists and turns of French-Spanish director Oliver Laxe's film are as dangerous as a mountain road. For some, the vertigo they cause will be too much. It's The Wages of Fear meets The Vanishing on shrooms At first, the film plays as a fish-out-of-water comedy as the resolutely middle class Luis finds himself forced to ally himself to the tattooed, drug-fuelled crusties who can show him the way. The sweetness of Luis and Esteban's relationship is matched by the makeshift family of outcasts and wanderers, played almost exclusively by first-timers. Relationships are not always clear, but Stefania Gadda is the matriarch of the group and Jade Oukid is the fixer who repairs the speakers, enjoying their distorted sound which dominates Berlin electronic producer Kangding Ray's all-enveloping soundtrack. Having made his second film, Mimosas, in Morocco, Laxe has an eye for the unworldly beauty of the desert and mountain landscapes. Cinematographer Mauro Herce's camera imbues the film with a feel that is part western – The Searchers, perhaps – and part science fiction, with more than a hint of Mad Max: Fury Road. There's also the political background which the characters are ignoring to their peril. Apocalypse is often simply third world conditions imposed on white people and so it proves here. Much will depend on how far you're willing to go with the wild swings the film takes in its second half, but if you're down for a trip, Sirat is The Wages of Fear meets The Vanishing on shrooms; startlingly original, jarringly hilarious and deeply disturbing.
San Francisco Chronicle
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Which Bay Area theaters have the best projection and sound?
Dear Mick LaSalle: Which theaters have the best projection and sound? Teresa Concepcion, Emeryville Dear Teresa Concepcion: Well, in one sense of the word 'best,' I'd say the Roxie Theater, the Stanford Theatre, the Rafael Film Center and the theater inside the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive have the best projection, because they project the best movies. But in the sense that I think you mean it, the best sound and picture is at the private Dolby Theatre on Market Street. As for what's available to the public, I have no love for the Metreon, but its IMAX theater is very good. Dear Mr. LaSalle: I was surprised to learn from your article that apparently lots of people spread out a movie over several nights. I thought I was one of the few lazybones who did that. Michael Biehl, San Francisco Dear Mr. Biehl: Everybody does it, but it doesn't mean they should. True, 95 times out of 100, it doesn't matter, because most movies are unremarkable. But with great and near-great movies, watching them over several nights on a small screen – that is, watching them in the wrong way – can bland out the experience and make real greatness seem merely good. Cinema is an art form that assumes and needs a captive audience. Movies are made with the assumption that you're small and the screen is huge, and that you're staying in your seat, that the volume is turned up, and that you can't rewind anything, so you have to pay attention. Even with all those conditions in place, movies face a hard climb, because they're trying to make you believe in an imaginary world and care about the people in it. But strip away those conditions, and their task becomes even more difficult. The sad part of this is that some of the best films are subtle and most are in need of being met halfway. I mean, you can half-watch 'The Avengers' and get the idea. But a quiet masterpiece like 'Before Sunrise' requires that you actually watch, listen and take it in. Otherwise, it might seem like endless, pointless conversation. And no, checking your phone to read about the movie as it's playing doesn't count as watching the movie. Still, we all do it, probably for the same reason that there's a certain resistance to being hypnotized, and in the same way that it requires an act of will to take a nap in the middle of the day, even if you're sleepy. There's an inertia that must be overcome in order to let go of the state we're in, even when we want to or need to. Dear Mick: I just watched 'The Vanishing' (1988) and found the ending very disturbing. The kind of movie that stays with you but not in a good way. Have you watched any really creepy movies that you wished you had not watched? Joyce Harvis, Stockton Hi Joyce: Yes. I have one, and it's the same as yours – 'The Vanishing.' It's a seriously unsettling film, and while I can't say that I wish I never saw it, I can confirm that the movie's disturbing quality doesn't go away, ever. I saw 'The Vanishing' when it was released in the United States in 1989, and a few months ago I made the mistake of thinking of the movie's ending right before bed, and I couldn't sleep. Talk about a lasting impact. Here was this movie keeping me up some 35 years after I saw it. I won't reveal the nature of the ending here, because there may be hearty souls out there willing to risk it. Consider this a combination recommendation/warning. Also, readers should note that we're talking about the original 1988 'The Vanishing' from the Netherlands, and not the idiotic American remake from 1993.
Sharjah 24
10-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Sharjah 24
Xposure to showcase AED 12 million in visual art and storytelling
Xposure 2025 will also offer art lovers, collectors, and investors an exclusive opportunity to take home a piece of this extraordinary festival, with an impressive collection of fine photographic prints available for purchase. Ranging from AED 3,100 up to AED 890,000, this collection of exhibitions will show the true diversity of visual mastery on display, catering to all walks of life, from first-time buyers to seasoned collectors and serious art investors. A showcase of unparalleled talent Xposure 2025 will present a range of photography genres, from Documentary and Photojournalism to awe-inspiring Fine Art and Creative Expression. Nature and Wildlife enthusiasts can explore breathtaking images capturing rare landscapes and endangered species while Travel and Adventure Photography will transport audiences across the globe through the visual medium of photography. The festival will also spotlight stunning Portraiture and Cultural Photography, revealing powerful human stories, alongside Urban and Street Life Photography that captures the vibrancy of cityscapes. Fans of action-packed Sports and Action photography and evocative Night and Low-Light Photography will find compelling and visually striking works on display. The world's most prolific visual storytellers Among the most distinguished names exhibiting at Xposure 2025, Sebastian Copeland, an award-winning photographer and environmental activist, presents 'The Vanishing,' a compelling look at climate change, with one of his most famous prints being available for nearly AED 900,000. Søren Solkær, best known for his striking portraits of musicians and his mesmerising depictions of bird flight, will be showcasing 'Black Sun,' with prints available for approximately AED 550,000. Meanwhile, Andrea Belluso, a legendary fashion and beauty photographer, explores sustainability in his exhibition 'Arts for Future,' with prints available for AED 627,100. Xposure 2025 ensures that anyone with an appreciation for photography can own a unique, high-value artwork that will also be framed by experts on site. These prints not only serve as personal collectibles but also as lucrative investments in the art world. A festival unlike any other Beyond its vast array of solo exhibitions, Xposure 2025 will feature renowned group showcases, including winners of the Andrei Stenin International Press Photo Contest, 'The Road to Xposure' by the Union of Arab Photographers, and 'Sharjah Women' by Sharjah Women's Sports. The event will also honour excellence through exhibitions featuring entrants for the Global Focus Project (GFP) — featuring a selected male and female photographer from six different continents — and the Independent Freelance Photojournalist Award (IFPA), spotlighting the best in contemporary and news-making photography. Xposure 2025 offers an unmatched opportunity to experience and acquire works from some of the most respected visual storytellers of our time, accompanied by talks, workshops, film screenings, a trade exhibition, and more. For more information, visit:
